After giving birth to oldest son Josh, Michelle and Jim Bob, 46, suffered her first miscarriage when Michelle got pregnant while taking oral birth control. She has previously said it was one of the reasons the couple no longer chooses birth control.

"We named that baby Caleb even though we didn't know if it was a boy or girl because that miscarriage was early," she says. "We will name this child and will know that we will see those children again someday in heaven."

Their daughter, Jill, 20, has been studying to become a midwife and had listened to the baby's heartbeat on Nov. 25, Michelle says. "She's been taking notes and keeping good track," says Michelle. "On Dec. 3, I felt a little uncomfortable but I thought it was just something I'd eaten. It could have been the beginning of something going wrong. I had my blood drawn yesterday, and it showed that my progesterone levels had dropped so something was not right [with the pregnancy]."

She says Jim Bob and the children are making sure she's resting. "The kids are mothering me now," she says. "Jill just brought me some food and they are taking good care of me."